Method for repairing holes in pavement

ABSTRACT

A method for repairing a hole in pavement comprises the steps of filling the hole with a filling material. One or more waterproofing cover sheet are placed over the hole, such that the hole and a portion of a surrounding area of the hole are covered. The waterproofing cover sheet is heated so as to make the waterproofing cover sheet adhere to the pavement, whereby the waterproofing cover sheet generally prevents water from infiltrating into the repaired pavement.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/076,945, filed on Mar. 11, 2005 by the present applicant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the process of repairing holes in pavement, such as potholes in roads, streets and the like.

2. Background Art

Potholes commonly develop in pavement and are a constant source of inconvenience and danger. They are also notoriously difficult to repair, especially in colder climates. Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing can render pothole repairs ineffectual if water infiltrates into the repaired pavement and expands when temperatures drop below freezing. Consequently, it is desirable to limit the amount of water that can infiltrate into repaired pavement.

Furthermore, vehicular traffic tends to wear out repaired potholes. It is thus desirable to protect a repaired pothole from the friction caused by tires.

Prior-art methods and processes have been developed to help repair potholes by protecting the repaired pavement from water infiltration. Such methods and processes include a step of placing or applying a waterproofing layer over the repaired pothole.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,353, issued on Feb. 2, 1993 to Buckelew, describes a method of repairing holes in pavement wherein a sheet of material is laid down over a coating of tar applied over the top of the paving repair material. This is not practical in colder climates because the coating of tar requires that machinery providing hot tar be available at the pothole location. U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,677, issued to Barroso on May 20, 1997, describes a method for repairing cracked pavement that has the same disadvantage.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,498, issued on Aug. 26, 1997 to Freeman, also describes a method of repairing roadways wherein an asphaltic upper top mat covers the filler material, extends over the damaged region and adheres to the roadway surface. The adherence of such a top mat is less than ideal, especially in colder climates.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,674, issued to Wilson, Sr., on May 12, 1998, describes another method of repairing pavement wherein a layer of polymer-fortified portland cement is applied during the filling to the hole and allowed to cure for a sufficient period of time before applying a waterproof sealer layer over the entire repaired area. This is also a method that is ill adapted to the rigors of a cold climate, since it requires the machinery and time necessary to use a cement to repair the hole.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a simple and efficient method of repairing potholes that is generally waterproof and that does not require excessive manpower or complex machinery.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a novel method for repairing holes in pavement.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a method for repairing holes in pavement that addresses issues pertaining to prior art.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for repairing a hole in pavement, comprising the steps of: i) filling the hole with a filling material; ii) placing at least one waterproofing cover sheet over the hole, such that the hole and a portion of a surrounding area of the hole are covered; and iii) heating the waterproofing cover sheet so as to make the waterproofing cover sheet adhere to the pavement; whereby the waterproofing cover sheet generally prevents water from infiltrating into the repaired pavement.

Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for making a waterproofing cover sheet to be used to repair holes in pavement, comprising the steps of: i) heating the waterproof material to liquefaction; ii) pouring the waterproof material onto the low-heat-resistant sheet material; and iii) cooling the waterproof material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section view of a hole in pavement repaired in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the hole in pavement of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for repairing a hole in pavement in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, to FIG. 1, a hole in pavement repaired in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is generally shown at 10. Pavement is shown at 12 and a ground sublayer at 14. A hole 16 has been filled with filler material 18 and covered using a waterproofing cover sheet 20 and a layer of loose material 22.

The present method of repairing the hole 16 is generally illustrated at 30 in FIG. 3 and comprises a step of filling the hole 16 with a filler material 18. The filler material 18 is typically in a form of a solid material of relatively high density so as to be capable of withstanding pressures (such as that caused by a vehicle). For instance, a suitable filler material 18, is a paving material such as cold or hot asphalt. It is understood that any other suitable paving material known in the art could also be used. It is contemplated to compact the filler material 18 (e.g., cold asphalt) so as to ensure that the hole 16 is properly filled, for instance, preventing the presence of voids in the filler material 18, or between the filler material 18 and the surface of the hole 16.

Once the hole 16 is filled with the filler material 18, one or more of the waterproofing cover sheet 20 is placed over the filling material 18 and a surrounding area 24 of the hole 16. Multiple waterproofing cover sheets 20 may be required for complete coverage depending on the size of the sheet and the area of the pavement to be repaired.

It is contemplated to clean the surrounding area 24 and heat the surrounding area 24 prior to covering the filler material 18 and surrounding area 24 in order to improve the adherence of the waterproofing cover sheet. One step that is considered is to expose the material of the pavement 12 (e.g., bitumen/asphalt). One suitable action taken to expose the bitumen/asphalt is to scrape/rake the pavement 12 about the periphery of the hole 16, while heating the periphery of the hole 16. A simple hand torch can be used to locally heat the periphery of the hole 16 at the area being scraped/raked. A typical spading fork, rake, or like tool having sharp or pointy tool ends is used to perform the scraping/raking. This allows to remove additional dust or loose material that accumulates on the bitumen/asphalt, or in cracks/voids in the bitumen/asphalt, to expose the bitumen/asphalt for interaction with the material of the cover sheet 20.

The waterproofing cover sheet(s) 20 is subsequently heated so as to adhere to the filler material 18 and the surrounding area 24. The heating of the cover sheet 20 can be performed using various methods. For example, the hand torch may be used to heat the waterproofing cover sheet 20, thus necessitating very little manpower to complete the step. When heated at a high temperature, the waterproofing cover sheet 20 can liquefy (e.g., reach a boiling point of the material of the cover sheet 20) and increase its adherence to the pavement 12. The material of the cover sheet 20, in its liquefied state, can penetrate the interstices of the filler material 18 and surrounding area 24, thereby increasing protection from water infiltration. As mentioned previously, the material of the pavement 12 (e.g., bitumen/asphalt) is exposed about the periphery of the hole 16, whereby the cover sheet 20 of bituminous material will fuse with the exposed bitumen/asphalt of the pavement 12. This results in an enhanced bond between the pavement 12 and the cover sheet 20. Moreover, the filling material 18 is concealed within the hole 16, and protected from the contact of vehicles or the like by the cover sheet(s) 20.

It is contemplated to provide the waterproofing cover sheet 20 in two layers. A first layer consists of a low-heat-resistant material supporting a cover material, such as parchment paper. A second layer consists of a generally waterproof material such as bituminous material, a polymer, or a mixture of both. It is understood that other waterproof materials can also be used. The layer of heat-resistant material can be removed prior to the step of heating the waterproofing cover sheet, or it can be incinerated during the heating step.

The waterproofing cover sheets are preferably prefabricated by pouring liquefied waterproof material onto the low-heat-resistant material and letting it cool. As described above, it is understood that the waterproofing material could consists of a bituminous material, a polymer, or a mixture of both. The cooling step can be performed by either by letting the waterproofing cover sheets 20 sit at ambient temperature or by accelerating the process using some type of refrigeration.

Once the waterproofing cover sheet 20 has been heated to adhere to the repaired hole and surrounding pavement, it is considered to spread loose material, such as dust, gravel, sand or the like over the waterproofing cover sheet in order to reduce its tackiness. Much of this loose material sticks to the heated waterproofing cover sheet, thereby protecting the waterproofing cover sheet from passing traffic or passersby. Advantageously, the presence of loose material 22 rapidly renders the repaired hole into condition for sustaining the wear caused by vehicles, by reducing the tacky surface of the cover sheets 20. In an effort to reduce costs and simplify the procedure, loose material already found on the surrounding pavement 12 is preferably used to cover the waterproofing cover sheet 20 thus removing the necessity of transporting additional materials to complete the pothole repair process. 

1. A method for repairing a hole in pavement, comprising the steps of: i) filling the hole with a filling material; ii) placing at least one waterproofing cover sheet over the hole, such that the hole and a portion of a surrounding area of the hole are covered; and iii) heating the waterproofing cover sheet so as to make the waterproofing cover sheet adhere to the pavement; whereby the waterproofing cover sheet generally prevents water from infiltrating into the repaired pavement.
 2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein step i) is performed by inserting the filling material into the hole and compacting the filling material.
 3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the filling material is cold asphalt.
 4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of cleaning the surrounding area of the hole, prior to step ii).
 5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of heating the area surrounding the hole, performed prior to step ii), so as to ensure that the waterproofing cover sheet generally adheres to the pavement.
 6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step iv) of covering the waterproofing cover sheet with loose material so as to reduce the tackiness of the waterproofing cover sheet.
 7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein step iv) is performed by covering the waterproofing cover sheet with existing loose material found on the pavement.
 8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the waterproofing cover sheet has a layer of low-heat-resistant material supporting a layer of waterproof material, the layer of low-heat-resistant material being incinerated during step iii).
 9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the waterproofing cover sheet has a layer of low-heat-resistant material supporting a layer of waterproof material, the layer of low-heat-resistant material being removed from the layer of waterproof material prior to step iii).
 10. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the step of heating the waterproofing cover sheet is performed by generally liquefying the layer of waterproof material.
 11. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of exposing a material of the pavement about the periphery of the hole, prior to step ii).
 12. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the step of exposing the material of the pavement is performed by raking/scraping the pavement about the periphery of the hole while heating the periphery of the hole. 